In searching for materials contemporaneous to the Baltics' first independence, we came across The New Human Interest Library, published by Midland Press (Chicago) in 1928. Volume V, Around the World, contains short articles on the countries of the world, among them the recently independent Baltic states.
The portrait of our youthful armchair traveler, above, appears on the cover and inside at the front of the volume. We wonder what he might have thought, reading for the first time of the far-away Baltic countries. The words of the immortal Samuel Johnson are inscribed beneath:
“Let observation with extensive
view
Survey mankind from China to Peru;
Remark each anxious toil, each
eager strife,
And watch the busy scenes of crowded life.”
We hope you find the articles informative and enjoyable.